Bloodborne

Ah, I didn't know about the pungent beast thing for him. That would have made things much easier! I beat him just whipping his ass (and why I died like 10 times). Should have read the description closer, it's a dead giveaway.

OMMFGDSOBG! The snatchers!

What a horrid place that is...sneaking around those things was really terrifying...that was the most relieved I've been to find a lantern in the game so far.

I'm mostly back to stalking around the Cathedral Ward, it seems like it's kind of a hub area with lots of possible branch-off points. I found the elevator to the top and promptly fell right the fuck off fighting the snipers. Found another area where a dude with some kind of electric weapon attacked, beat him but his buddy with a blunderbuss got me.

I've started using the rifle spear more, it's up to +3 does more damage than the cane. It's got a slower shot than the blunderbuss though, which is sort of a timing issue.

Has anything happened at that stump in the Hunter's Dream for y'all yet?

Sounds like you're right where I am now.

Yeah, that was the area I was talking about. Scary as fuck. Did you fight the two huge snatcher dudes in the prison or just leave? They were so hard (they one shotted me) I think I'm just going to leave and come back later to fight them.

Also, insight has a lot to do with how fucked up things are. I know it's what unlocks the pool where you can buy things in the hunter's dream, but I also think it unlocks other more environmental stuff (a particular enemy that changed comes to mind).

I don't think you are supposed to fight them, at least not yet. One hit and you're down. I think the intent is to sneak around them.

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Still enjoying Bloodborne. Beat Vicar Amelia last night, 3rd try. The secret is the weapon you use. Specifically:



I didn't find the fight with her very creative or interesting. Mostly just banging on her with my weapon and staying close, like most of the big bosses/guys in this game. I did help the crow beat the person she was fighting, I think she's pretty cool, so I hope I see her again/the questline continues. Trying not to hit her during the fight with her was a real bitch.

Now I'm in the woods. Fuck these guys and their rifles. I wish my bloodtinge was higher, I'd fire back. But I can't advance everything and I've decided to go skill and maybe arcane since the whip and a few other of the weapons I want to use are boosted by arcane as well as skill (looked online for that).

Tore through the next boss (witches). The easiest boss in the game by some distance.

Oh man, but FUCK these squid assholes who drain your insight! That shit is finite and hard to come by!

Report in from the Atlanta Hunter's Chapter...

I just beat Vicar Amelia this morning. Second try. Really wasn't very hard...first time was the usual "oops, a boss" whiff, went back loaded up with vials, fire papers, molotovs and oil urns and it wasn't too tough to just evade and do the usual "stab in butt" tactic. I thought maybe there would be a way to knock that watch out of her hand, but I couldn't figure it out if there was. Oh well, too late.

Headed down to what I guess is the Nightmare Frontier area. The two guys you fight before it are unusually tough...the shotgun guy killed me like three times. But I got down into the woods, walked in, got shot immediately. Jeez. So the second time, I used one of those blue elixirs, which makes you invisible, to scout around. I thought I was so slick. I was just trying to get the lay of the land and see if there was a lamp anywhere. I went into this room and this invisible monster snatched me up and killed me. I was totally clowned out. "You invisible, bitch? SQUISH. Hilarious!

I fooled around in a Chalice Dungeon last night...I don't know, the return on investment for time seems really low. The enemies there (skeletons, mostly, at least the one I was in) have a low blood yield. I went through two bosses and didn't really seem to get a whole lot out of it. But I think I'm only halfway through it, maybe there's something good down there.

Bought Ludwig's sword. Didn't see it had a strength req of 16. Oops. That's six levels up. However, I also noticed something odd. I've got 27 skill, and now going up a pip in strength gets me more ATK than skill does. So I may wind up with the sword anyway.

I've also noticed that having a lot of insight changes some things in the game...enemies are stronger, there are some that aren't there at lower insight levels. I think. After I spent some at the fountain, I noticed.

I have the church clothes, it looks like they're better than anything sold at either of the messenger fountains...but they look kind of dorky.

25 is the "soft cap" where return to your investment reduces. So it can become worth increasing other things that bonus on whatever you're using after 25, diminishing returns. I'm at like 28 skill and seeing the same thing, I'm going into arcane instead. That fucking invisible shit pisses me off at the end of that spot. I immediately died after that tough ass battle with those two motherfuckers with the rifles on the bluff. Lost about 17K echoes.

Yeah, insight is a really big deal, I think. It's not just the flames that come out of the lantern, either, a bunch of other stuff seems harder. I'm having the same experience. I'm at 20, wearing Gascoine's hat not because it's good but because it's fucking styling. Do not let those squid fuckers eat your brains or they steal 2 insight.

God, now I just want to leave work and go play Bloodborne.

Ah, see, I didn't know there was a soft cap like that, that's good to know. I was thinking about starting to pump up Arcane too since it says it increases drops, and I'm running into these situations where I'm having to farm for blood vials. I just go and kill the shit out of those gravedigger guys, they're way too easy. The giant ones are a joke, a great example of how this game psychs you out. They look like boss-class enemies, but they're easy to just murder. Stab in butt. It works every time.

I actually didn't see that fountain where you spend insight until this morning. I found that stump where you can change the messenger hats last week, but I happened to look up and see that other one. Thing is, everything there is weaker than this church garb or whatever. I'm thinking about buying another set just to look good.

I think I may have already seen one of those squid guys, are you talking like a mind flayer type? It was kind of weird, it sort of showed up out of nowhere in the Cathedral Ward near that password door...

Church garb looks great for normal encounters but you don't want to be near anything that induces frenzy wearing it or you are completely fucked. It has no frenzy resist. Definitely consider Arcane. I have not had much trouble with needing to farm blood vials since I moved it up to 15, and only a very minor amount with ammo. It makes a noticable difference. Sounds like we're making similar characters.

Yep, it's the mind flayer dude. They're no big deal but if you don't whip their ass and they get the jump on you, poof, permanent stuff gone.

I got through the first half of the forbidden woods or whatever, through the mill and the village. Great area. Fun. I think I'm overleveled right now but I don't care. There's an enemy type that is a laugh out loud great tip of the cap to resident evil 4 in the forbidden woods. I took your lead and started doing chalice dungeons, I beat the first two bosses and am on the third one now. No real reward, you're right. But fun. I could definitely see co-oping them with friends or whatever when they get hard as a way to extend the game.

I have not played a game this intensely since... I don't know, years? Probably since Ass Creed Black Flag, which I almost 100%-ed I had such a good time with it.

Also, one thing I forgot to mention. Keep in mind I've never played a souls game for more than, say, 40 minutes before I quit:

The health regain system is a master designer at work. The designer looked at the game he had made and said "fuck this." It's obvious that he played his own games a bunch of times and was like "why did I make a game that encourages you to do as little as possible and hide behind a shield?" And then he came up with a mechanic that completely overcomes the problem. I mean, essentially, you can make a lot of mistakes in Bloodborne, even against bosses, if you just fucking GET IN THERE. It completely changes the mindset in every encounter and makes the game almost unimaginably better. The 40 minutes I played of Dark Souls 1 was me getting hit by skeletons while I went to a place I wasn't supposed to go with my shield up, praying for a chance to attack. This basically solves that problem.

Actually, honestly, Bloodborne's map design solves the other problem (going where you're not supposed to go levelwise). The game is way more open in terms of the directions you could go. I was thinking back... I'm, what, probably half way in the game because I have a real job. Of the 4-5 bosses I've fought, I think I've only had to fight one, MAYBE two of them. That's amazing.

Have had some time but not a ton the past few days so I've been playing Chalice dungeons. The good: they're bite size in a really fun way. Some of the levels until the next shortcut can be fairly grueling (SNAKES IN FORBIDDEN WOODS I'M LOOKING AT YOU), but these are just a light amount of time. The bad: almost everything else. If anything, it shows you that Bloodborne's combat is good, but it isn't what makes the game special. It's the considered level design, enemy placement, and art assets that make the game special---everything is crafted impeccably. Take that away, and you're left with something that has Bloodborne's combat system but not much else, which is not enough to carry a game.

Man FUCK Rom the Vacuous Spider. What an unfun, cheap boss fight once he enters stage 2 with that ridiculous crystal attack.

Gary Sax wrote: Man FUCK Rom the Vacuous Spider. What an unfun, cheap boss fight once he enters stage 2 with that ridiculous crystal attack.

Hey Gary,

Sorry I haven't been posting much, I moved to a new apartment and I've been without the internet for about 2 weeks now.

I loathed the Rom fight, it took me probably 20 tries to get him down. I tried different strategies, getting rid of the spiders, avoiding them altogether... the one that worked for me was getting rid of the spiders. They're harmless enough, but when your back is turned and they do that one hit leap attack, you're dead... But that crystal attack, fuck that thing, no matter how you roll it always manages to nail you. Anyways, don't give up, you'll get him eventually.

I've been playing in offline mode, so it's been very interesting without any tips, or help from anyone. Right now I'm having trouble with a new boss in Yahar'gul or whatever it's called... I hattttttte that area, seriously. But the boss... The One Reborn... man, I've got him down to 5% life and then he does some stupid shit and I'm dead. So I had to take a break and cool off a bit!